Deadline approaching for senior deferral requests

SYCAMORE – The DeKalb County Treasurer’s Office is accepting applications until March 1 for the senior citizens real estate tax deferral program.

To participate, the property owner must be 65 years old or older and not have a total household income of more than $55,000, according to a news release. If the property is owned jointly, both owners must sign the application form.

If a taxpayer is applying for the first time this year or later and the property is being held in a trust, the trust must be an Illinois Land Trust with the deferral applicants being the sole trust beneficiaries to qualify for the deferral , according to the release.

The maximum annual deferral is $5,000.

Other requirements include:

• The property must be used only for residential purposes.

• There must not be a lien against the property for unpaid real estate taxes .

• The taxpayer must have owned and occupied the property for at least the past three years.

• The taxpayer must show the property is insured against fire or casualty loss for at least the amount of the taxes that have been deferred.

Applications have been mailed to previous participants, but senior citizens interested in participating can contact the treasurer’s office at 815-895-7112. Information also is available at dekalbcounty.org/treasurer/treasurer.html.